


Prelude to Hyrule Castle

by Ort



Series: Ruins [6]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Linked Universe, That good good mentor and protege shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 09:31:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18363293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ort/pseuds/Ort
Summary: “It’s too much sometimes.  Everything piles up and up and up and then... one thing...  all it takes is one thing for everything else to come crashing down.”“You were that one thing.”





	Prelude to Hyrule Castle

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of Linked Universe (find on Tumblr)

The cub is still asleep, pressed against his side.  His face is peaceful, for once. Twilight sighs, bringing a hand up to rest on Wild’s shoulder, just above the bandage around his arm.  It’s stained with blood and will need to be changed soon, but Twilight hesitates to wake his charge. 

 

“Let him sleep,” Time had said, and there had been something in his voice, hidden beneath the surface.  

 

Something had happened, and Twilight had missed it.  He’d tried to ask about what was wrong, but Time hadn’t given him much of an answer.  Just placed a hand on his head and left the shelter of their tower. 

 

Twilight feels guilty.  

 

Wild sighs in his sleep, turning to bury his face in the fur of Twilight’s cloak, and Twilight closes his eyes.  Whatever happened while he was out wasn’t good; he can feel it in the tension in the air. Time is… off. Not that Twilight can really blame him; when Time had told him where they were, he’d been shocked, to say the least.  Whatever Time was feeling, he had every right. 

 

It’s more than that, though; it’s that Wild is out cold next to him instead of up and alert.  It’s that the others seem to walk on tiptoes around Time. It’s that he keeps catching Time watching Wild like a hawk.  

 

It’s whatever Time isn’t telling him.  

 

Twilight exhales through his nose and sits up a bit, trying his best not jostle Wild.  To his credit, Wild doesn’t seem to notice; he just pouts in his sleep and adjusts to the new position.  It’s slightly concerning, considering Wild is always the first to wake at the smallest of disturbances. 

Footsteps draw Twilight from his worries and he glances up to see Wind standing in the entrance of the tower.  The youngest of them leans heavily on a walking stick. His leg is bandaged and splinted; Twilight doesn’t remember much of the past few days.  Whatever happened after he was knocked out is shrouded in a hazy fog of voices and pain.

 

“Uh… should you be up…?” Wind asks quietly, eyeing the bandage that’s peeking out from under Twilight’s tunic.  Twilight glances down. He’s barely sitting, supporting himself on his elbows. 

 

“I’m not up.”

 

Wind raises an eyebrow and squints his eyes, and Twilight can’t help but be slightly impressed by the expression.  The younger huffs, rocking back and forth on his walking stick. He’s looking at Wild. 

 

“Time thinks we should go soon…” he says and shrugs.  “I don’t think he wants to be...  _ here _ ... much longer.

 

Twilight doesn’t have a response for that, so he just nods.  Wind stands there awkwardly for another moment before he gives a quiet ‘ahem’ and hobbles away.  Twilight watches him go and then blows out a puff of air so that it ruffles his bangs. 

 

“Can you walk?”

 

Twilight startles and twists to look down at Wild, who is watching him through lidded eyes.  His protege blinks up at him from where he’s half buried in Twilight’s cloak. He looks worn, the bags under his eyes heavier than normal.  

 

“Cub…” Twilight murmurs as Wild sits up, slowly.  He stands, his back to Twilight and shuffles, before turning to face him.  His face is blank, but Twilight can feel a tension beneath the surface. Wild’s mouth is pulled taut at the corners.  

 

“Can you?” he asks again and offers Twilight a hand.  Twilight nods dumbly and takes it, pushing himself to his feet.  His wound protests, but he steals his face and breathes through it.  

 

They stand in the shade of the tower, quiet.  Neither of them speaks and it’s a long while before Wild finally steps forward and presses against Twilight, his forehead resting on Twilight’s shoulder.  Twilight is stunned, but he brings his arms up around his protege when Wild sucks in a shuddering breath. 

 

“Don’t do that again,” Wild mumbles against him.  Twilight chuckles, but it sounds dry in the stale air of the tower.

 

“No promises,” he says and Wild sighs.  

_______

They travel north.  The castle is easy to spot on the horizon and they travel at a steady pace, though Twilight pretends not to notice whenever Time looks back to check if he’s alright.

 

The journey is… relatively uneventful.  They chat amongst themselves, sharing stories, pointing out landmarks, telling jokes.  Wind sits on Sky’s shoulders, laughing. It’s nice. Peaceful. Twilight tries to enjoy it.  

 

It’s hard when Wild is walking 15 feet ahead of them, silent.  

 

His hair is loose - Twilight had seen him trying to pull it back earlier, only to realize his tie had been lost somewhere - and the way it flutters in the wind mimics the wild grasses they traverse through. 

 

He looks every bit his title.    

 

They come upon the castle that night and camp on the surrounding ridge.  At its base, the castle’s moat is still, reflecting the stars above them.  The moon is waning and, tonight, it is but a sliver of silver in the night sky.  Wild cooks them a simple meat stew made of bird and deer and then they retreat to their bedrolls.  

 

It’s a quiet night, the looming figure of Hyrule Castle casting an eerie sense of calm over their group.  Wild offers first watch and, before Twilight can protest, the others agree and turn in for the night. Only Time seems reluctant to let Wild stay up alone, but when Twilight sends him an imploring look, he only shrugs half-heartedly.  Twilight scowls. This is getting annoying. 

 

When Wild perches himself on the edge of the ravine, Twilight goes to Time and stares at him until Time finally gets the message.  

 

“He was worried about you,” Time tries and Twilight huffs.  

 

“Bullshit.  So were you, but I don’t see you sulking off on your own.”

 

Time is silent for a while, looking to wear Wild sits with his back to them.  He shakes his head and holds up his hands, staring at rough and calloused palms.  Twilight waits.

 

“It’s hard,” Time starts.  “to explain.” 

 

“Try.”

 

Time shoots Twilight a look for his tone, but Twilight doesn’t care.  Wild is scaring him; making him _ nervous _ , and that won’t do.  

 

“He feels like it’s his fault.”

 

“It’s not.”

 

“Well, he feels like it is.  That it’s his fault you got hurt, that I had to see the... the ranch, and,”  Time stops, searching for the words. He motions something with his hands and Twilight, not for the first time, wishes he knew more of Time’s hand speak.  Time’s shoulders slump and he lets out a defeated sigh. 

 

Twilight almost resigns himself to never getting a full answer, when Time finally speaks.

 

“It’s too much sometimes,” he says and he’s looking at Twilight with such intensity, like he’s trying to make him understand more than he physically can.  “Everything piles up and up and up and then... one thing... all it takes is  _ one _ thing for everything else to come crashing down.”  

 

Time turns to look at Wild, sitting alone, and then back at Twilight.  He smiles sadly and pokes Twilight’s chest. 

 

“You were that one thing.” 

 

Twilight doesn’t know what to say.  Time pats his shoulder and then turns away to begin preparing for bed, and Twilight can do nothing but return to his own bedroll.  He lays down, but can’t bring himself to close his eyes. Instead, he finds himself staring up at the sky. The stars are bright; the sky here is clearer than any sky Twilight has ever been under before.  There are no clouds to block the view and the lights of nearby towns are non-existent. The castle is a dark shadow to his right; no candlelight sits in her windows and no torch lights her pathways. She is a hollow, silent shell.  

 

Wild shifts, playing with the hilt of the sword laying across his lap, and Twilight watches him out of the corner of his eye.  A breeze sweeps across their camp and Wild shivers. Twilight stands before he can think better of it and walks over. 

 

Wild doesn’t jump when Twilight sits down next to him, but he does give him a startled look when Twilight drapes his fur cloak over Wild’s shoulders.  Wild goes to give it back, but Twilight shakes his head and places an arm around his shoulders instead. Wild stares at him, searching his face, before bringing a hand up to clutch at the cloak and pull it tighter around himself.  Twilight smiles and pulls him close. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he finally says.  Wild hums, but doesn’t say anything.  Twilight continues. “I’m sorry for scaring you… but,” he squeezes Wild’s shoulder, looking at him.  Wild hesitates and then meets his eyes. “I’m not sorry for what I did.” 

 

There’s a storm in Wild’s eyes and Twilight tries to quell it before it has the chance to break free.  

 

“It wasn’t your fault.  It was my choice,” he says.  “and I suffered the consequences for it. But,” he rests his forehead against Wild’s.  “hear me when I say I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

 

Wild draws back.    

 

“You don’t have to always try and protect me.”  He scowls and looks away. “I’m not a kid. I can take of myself.”  He gestures to Twilight’s stomach, where his wound is sore from the day’s travels.  “I don’t need you getting hurt just because you think you need to protect me. You don’t.” 

 

“No, I don’t,” Twilight admits softly.  Something flashes in Wild’s eyes and his frown deepens.  “But I want to.” 

 

Wild whips his head around to stare directly at Twilight.  

 

“Why?”  

 

“Because I care.”

 

Wild startles at the comment, his eyes wide.  He makes a sound in the back of his throat, like a wounded animal. 

 

“Why?” 

 

It’s Twilight’s turn to be surprised. 

 

“Why… do I  _ care _ ?”

 

“Why,” Wild asks again.  He looks down at his hands.  “I’m not… none of us…” He stops, closing his eyes and taking in a shaky breath.  His hands twitch in his lap. “Why do you care… if you’re just gonna get hurt in the end…?”  He bows his head. “Why do you care if… if in the end it doesn’t matter?” 

 

“Cub…”

 

“It doesn’t matter,” Wild rasps.  “In the end, everyone’s gone anyways…”  He shrugs. He looks so small, smothered in the folds of Twilight’s cloak.  “In the end…” He grows silent again, but there’s something boiling under the surface;  it’s whatever Twilight’s been chasing, whatever’s been troubling Time. Whatever’s been eating away at Wild and reducing him to a shivering mass of heartache.  Twilight lifts his hand and pushes the hair away from Wild’s face. His protege flinches at the contact and Twilight tries not to let the hurt show on his face.  

 

“There is no end, Cub.”     

 

Wild scoffs and then falls quiet.  They sit in silence. Somewhere, behind them, Warriors mumbles something in his sleep and turns over.  Twilight can feel a gaze on the back of his neck and he has no doubt that Time is watching them from where he lays on his bedroll.    

 

“And what about when you fail?” Wild finally whispers.  Twilight purses his lips, but Wild doesn’t seem to notice.  “What about when you let everyone die…” He clenches his teeth.  “When you just let them go and let the whole world go and everything goes to shit and in the end, you don’t- you don’t even-” he falters, choking on his words.  “...remember…” 

 

Twilight watches as Wild brings a hand to his face, dragging it down across his eyes.  

 

“Why...?”  He shakes his head, dropping it into his hands.  After a moment, he turns, peeking through his fingers to look at Twilight. 

 

“Why do I care?”

 

Twilight pulls Wild closer and, thankfully, his protege doesn’t resist.  He presses his cheek to the top of Wild’s head and sighs. 

 

“I don’t know.”  He says and Wild shudders beneath his cheek.  “But, it’s good to care. And it’s okay to let others care about you.”

 

“I don’t deserve it.”

 

“You do.”

 

“...It hurts.”

 

“I know.”

 

“I wish it didn’t.”

 

“I know.”

 

Below him, Wild draws in a shaky breath.

 

“It already hurts so much.”

  
  


 

 

“I’m sorry.”

 


End file.
